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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Happenings in Europe
Chris Fisher We have heard during the past few years that battery electric commercial trucks will ultimately replace the diesel-powered internal combustion engine for commercial trucks. At some point in the future this might be true for short and regional haul freight carriers, but what about the long-haul heavy truck segment?
Currently, the lack of charging infrastructure, range anxiety and the extreme weights associated with the batteries will be a significant deterrent to mass adoption of long-haul battery electric trucks.
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CTT Bauma Moscow Shows Growing Optimism in Russian Construction Market
Maxim Sakov The CTT Bauma trade show is main event of construction industry in Russia. Since 2017 it’s owned and operated by Messe Munich. The show was conducted this year in Moscow May 25-28 in its usual place, the Crocus Expocenter. Last year, the fair was off because of the COVID pandemic, but this year we saw that both the exhibition and construction industries are showing a growing trend. The fair’s indoor exposition was restored to three pavilions, and the outdoor exposition also grew in size versus 2019. There were 351 exhibitors from 17 countries, somewhat better than last time. A total of 184 brands were represented.
Here is, however, one unpleasant factor. Most of the international OEMs did not participate in the fair this time. Wirtgen, Volvo, Cummins, Caterpillar, Ammann, Hyundai, Renault, Komatsu machines were missing from this fair. John Deere, Doosan, Kato, and some other brands were limited, having only small booths, set by the local dealers. Many Russian machine makers, who usually participate in the fair, also ignored the event. Among them – GAZ, Chetra, DST-10, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, YAMZ.
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GAZ Increased LCV Production by 19% in Q1 2021
Maxim Sakov The GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod has made 11,300 LCVs in Q1 2021, according to the Trade Ministry of Russia. That’s 18.7% higher than the same period of last year. HD truck production by the GAZ Group increased by 29% in Q1 2021, from 1,700 to 2,200 units.
In total, according to the Russian Statistic bureau “Rosstat”, production growth of Russian on-highway vehicles increased by 13.7%. OEMs have made 402,800 units. LCV output has grown by 37.7%, trucks by 27.1%, and passenger cars by 1…
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Parched Taiwan Prays for Rain as Sun Moon Lake Hit by Drought
Erik Martin TAIWAN — Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake is so low that parts of it have dried and turned to grass. Jetties that normally float are sprawled awkwardly on dry land, and tour boats are crowded at the tail ends of pontoons still in the water.
Usually one of the island’s most famous tourist destinations, the lake has recently become a star of a different kind. Following the worst drought in 56 years, it is now famous for all the wrong reasons. These days, Instagram influencers photograph themselves posing in a dust-colored, dinghy half-buried in a cracked and cratered lakebed…
But away from the quirky headlines, the situation is dire. Other reservoirs across central and southern Taiwan are effectively empty, down to 5% or less.
Taiwan has had drought before, but observers are hoping the severity of this one – which has lasted 18 months and threatens Taiwan’s economic lifeblood of semiconductor production – is enough to prompt real action on climate change.
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Müller Launches Rigid Off-Highway Truck MDT430 in Brazil
Fabio Ferraresi The Brazilian group that acquired Randon Veículos, the division of Randon group that produced OH Trucks and Construction Equipment, at the end of 2020 launched the first model under the Müller brand. It has a 350 HP Turbo Intercooler produced by Scania and an Allisson Automatic Transmission.
Source: M&T Read The Article
PSR Analysis: Whether lucky or visionary, Müller is well positioned to produce positive results in coming years. While mining activity in…
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VWCO Exports Grow 130% in First 4 Months of 2021
VWCO reported exports of 2527 trucks and buses from January to April 2021, versus 1084 units in the same period of 2020. Most of the growth came during April; the month was very negatively affected by the pandemic in 2020.
Source: Automotive Business Read The Article
PSR Analysis: As with other OEMs, the export volumes of VWCO have been better than expected considering only Q1 2021 vs. Q1 2020, period without pandemic effect in 2020. During our forecast planning in Q4…
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GM Announces LCV To Be Produced in Brazil
This pickup truck will be produced at the São Caetano plant using the GEM platform, the leader in the compact car segment with Chevrolet Onyx. This vehicle will be smaller than the GM S-10, produced in São José dos Campos, Brazil, and bigger than the old Montana. It should compete with Fiat Toro, leader in sales ant he Pick-up segment.
Source: M&T Read The Article
PSR Analysis: GM hopes to follow the success history of Stellantis in Brazil with a smaller, yet not compact pick-up. The successful…
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Müller Launches Rigid Off-Highway Truck MDT430 in Brazil
The Brazilian group that acquired Randon Veículos, the division of Randon group that produced OH Trucks and Construction Equipment, at the end of 2020 launched the first model under the Müller brand. It has a 350 HP Turbo Intercooler produced by Scania and an Allisson Automatic Transmission.
Source: M&T Read The Article
PSR Analysis: Whether lucky or visionary, Müller is well positioned to produce positive results in coming years. While mining activity in Brazil is growing with record commodities…
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Continental Wins First Order for CV High-Performance Computer
Frankfurt, Germany–For the first time, Continental has won an order to supply the commercial vehicle sector with telematics units that include high-performance computers. This means that the technology company now also offers a solution that can master the increasing requirements for connectivity, complexity and functional scope in trucks.
Continental will use its telematics know-how – already proven in the passenger car sector – to complete this order from Volkswagen. Last year, Continental was…
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European EV Buses Under Pressure
Emiliano Marzoli After three years, Alstom is halting their EV bus production. By the end of 2021, the production lines will be stopped, and unless a buyer will take over, most of the operations will be shut down. Twenty employees will remain active to assure maintenance for the existing vehicles in operations with RATP.
Just two years ago, Alstom was one of the winners of a contract to supply electric buses to the French operator. However, this was not enough to maintain profitability.
PSR Analysis: We believe that electric buses have a great future, particularly in Europe. According to our database CV Link™, alternative drive buses, including Hybrid, Fuel Cells and Battery Electric, will grow at a 22% CAGR between 2020 and 2030.
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